The opportunity and need for interior landscaping in commercial settings such as shopping malls has increased dramatically in recent years. Not only are low lying shrubs used, but medium sized plants and even trees are now in demand, particularly in the larger shopping malls. Several varieties of Ficus have been used in these commercial settings with varying degrees of success. The Ficus benjamina was one of the early and well-known favorites. The benjamina is characterized by relatively wide elliptical leaves having a dark green color and a rippled surface. Although the benjamina tends to develop heavy foliage in the nursery, when it is transplanted to a mall environment with reduced light levels, the heavy foliage does not permit sufficient light penetration and significant leaf droppage is a common result. In addition, the Ficus benjamina is overly sensitive to handling and shipment and often suffers after mall plantings. It requires approximately 250 foot candles of illumination to maintain its appearance and although some interior commercial settings provide that much illumination, many do not.
The Ficus microcarpa, often referred to in the trade as Ficus nitida, has increased greatly in popularity both in an absolute sense and relative to the Ficus benjamina. The microcarpa is similar to the benjamina except that the leaves usually are not quite as dark a green, and they have no ripples. The microcarpa is generally much hardier than the benjamina, and in particular can withstand the stress of the indoor shopping mall environment to such a greater degree that it is probably superior in such applications. However, the canopy of the microcarpa tends to spread considerably and the resulting imbalance tends to cause the trunk and main limbs to bend and grow over toward one side. It is difficult to obtain and maintain symmetry of the Ficus microcarpa plant. It generally requires staking and bracing in several spots to develop a straight trunk, with considerable pruning to maintain a symmetrical shape. In general, the requirement for more work on the site is an undesirable factor.
A second variety of F. microcarpa, often referred to in the trade as F. retusa, is of significance primarily because of its increased resistance to thrip infestation. Like the first variety of F. microcarpa discussed in the proceeding paragraph, this second variety of F. microcarpa. is hardier than the benjamina, and therefore better suited to the rigors of commercial use such as the indoor shopping mall environment. Unfortunately, it also tends to spread its canopy and grow into an unsymmetrical shape, like the first variety of F. microcarpa.
The new variety, to be known as Ficus elegante', was discovered by me as a sport limb originating on a specimen of the second variety of F. microcarpa plant in my nursery at Dania, Fla. I was engaged in large scale production of various Ficus varieties at the time, and in particular I was interested in developing improvements upon the cultivar consisting of the second variety of F. microcarpa. The original sport limb discovered by me was remarkably different from the other limbs on the parent nitida F. microcarpa in that all the leaves on this limb were relatively ovate, whereas the remainder of the parent plant had the typically elliptical leaves of the F. microcarpa. The air layering process was used for propagation, and soon there existed several whole plants of the new variety. All of these young plants exhibited the same peculiar leaf shape as previously described on the originally discovered sport limb.
Other distinguishing characteristics of the new variety were noted as the sample plants grew to maturity. In particular, the trunks and main branches were of a light grey color, significantly lighter than that of the parent Ficus microcarpa. The secondary branches tended to be darker, just as in the F. microcarpa. Whereas the canopy of the Ficus nitida and the microcarpa tends to spread considerably and the trunk tends to bend to one side as the tree matures, the new variety tends to have less spread in the canopy, a far more symmetrical shape, and a relatively straight trunk. As the new variety approaches maturity, the canvas is relatively thick but well proportioned, not spreading unduly so as to cause balance problems. The branching structure is uniform, which tends to enhance the symmetry of the adult plant.
Reproduction of the new variety through more than three generations has been accomplished by the air layering process. The plants of each generation to date all have the same appearance as the original sport limb mutation found on the Ficus microcarpa. The other characteristics described herein are also common to all plants of the new variety reproduced to date.
In my nursery the large scale production of various varieties of Ficus is primarily for use in the commercial environment, particularly in shopping malls. In general, plants are grown to approximately the desired size at relatively high illumination levels and under other conditions which are beneficial to healthy growth. Subsequently, most of my plants are subjected to steadily diminishing illumination levels so as to acclimate them to the conditions anticipated in locations such as shopping malls. When specimens of the new variety were subjected to the same diminishing levels of illumination as were other varieties such as Ficus benjamina, and F. microcarpa, it was discovered that the new variety would maintain its appearance at sustained levels as low as approximately 150 foot candles of illumination. By contrast, the Ficus microcarpa requires approximately 200 foot candles or more, and the benjamina generally requires more than 250 foot candles of illumination.
Growing samples of the new variety along side samples of Ficus benjamina, Ficus microcarpa in my nursery also demonstrated another significant characteristic of the new variety. As is well known, the foliage of the Ficus benjamina suffers considerably from thrip infestation. The first variety of Ficus microcarpa also tends to be affected adversely by thrips. The second variety of F. microcarpa consistently shows more resistance to thrip infestation than does either the first variety or the benjamina. In my nursery, the samples of the new variety proved even more resistant to thrip infestation than the second variety of Ficus microcarpa.